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On 10 April, Malcolm Turnbull declared that he has a plan to save owner drivers.  He’s going to delay the Road ‘Safety’ Remuneration Tribunal order until after the election then repeal the law and the Tribunal. Prime Minister, you are wrong and clearly do not understand this crisis for 35,000 small business owner-drivers and their families.

Here are the facts:

• Owner-drivers started losing their work some months ago. Companies say they won’t give them work because the Tribunal order might come in and the companies won’t take the risk.
• If you delay the order, owner-drivers will still not get work and will go broke because companies won’t take the risk. People are falling into bankruptcy NOW.

PM, some of your political strategists might think its smart election politics to keep the issue burning. But you will be condemned because you are, in turn, condemning owner-drivers to bankruptcy.

Here’s the simple challenge, Mr Turnbull:

• Declare that you will repeal the Tribunal in this sitting of Parliament (starting 18 April) if enough independent Senators support the repeal.

Here’s the simple challenge to the independent senators:

• Declare that you will support the repeal.

PM, find out where things really stand. If the independents don’t support repeal, they will be condemned because they will be responsible for owner-driver bankruptcies.

Stand up, Prime Minister. Push the issue. Make a stand and genuinely fight to save small business people from bankruptcy.

(An aside: Labor and the Greens should support repeal of the Tribunal but it seems they receive too much money from the unions. They too stand condemned for creating small business bankruptcies.)